Last December we reported that the European Union was taking steps toward easy removal and replacement of batteries from devices, with an eye to their life cycle and recycling. The agreement between the European Council and the European Parliament presaged that the new legislation was going to go ahead, and this has been the case in a recent vote in which 587 MEPs have shown themselves in favor and another 20 have decided to abstain.
It remains to be seen how the recently passed legislation will work when it enters into force, but what is clear is that it is in line with the European Union’s longstanding policy of trying to reduce the amount of waste generated within its space. The European Parliament explains in a press release that “the new law takes into account technological developments and the future challenges of the sector and will cover the entire life cycle of batteries, from design to the end of its useful life.”
What was approved by the European Parliament is essentially what was agreed at the time with the European Council, but it does not hurt to include the key measures of the new legislation, which will surely upset more than one technology company:
- A mandatory carbon footprint declaration and label for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, LMT batteries (for example, for electric scooters and bicycles), and industrial rechargeable batteries with a capacity greater than 2kWh.
- Design portable batteries for household appliances in such a way that they can be easily removed and replaced by consumers themselves.
- A digital battery passport for LMT batteries, industrial batteries with a capacity greater than 2 kWh and EV batteries.
- A due diligence policy for all economic operators, except SMEs.
- Stricter waste collection targets: for portable batteries 45% by 2023, 63% by 2027 and 73% by 2030. For LMT batteries 51% by 2028 and 61% by 2031.
- Minimum levels of materials recovered from waste batteries. Lithium: 50% by 2027 and 80% by 2031. Cobalt, copper, lead and nickel: 90% by 2027 and 95% by 2031.
- Minimum levels of recycled content for use in new batteries. Eight years after the entry into force of the Regulation: 16% cobalt, 85% lead, 6% lithium and 6% nickel. Thirteen years after the entry into force: 26% cobalt, 85% lead, 12% lithium and 15% nickel.
As it is a Regulation, its application will be direct after it enters into force. regardless of whether the member countries of the European Union have adapted it through state legislation. It would have been different if it had been a Directive, since if so it would be up to each country to draw up its own laws on how to achieve the agreed objectives.
Achille Variati, rapporteur for the new Regulation and MEP of the European Socialists and Democrats for Italy, explained that the European Union now has “circular economy legislation that covers the entire life cycle of a product, an approach that is good for both the environment as well as the economy.
“Our overall goal is to build a stronger recycling industry in the European Union, particularly for lithium, and a competitive industrial sector as a whole that will be crucial in the coming decades for the energy transition and strategic autonomy of our continent. These measures could become a benchmark for the entire global battery market.”
That the European Union approves legislation that tries to reduce waste and protect the rights of consumers is nothing new. However, it remains to be seen how the manufacturers understand the easy removal of the battery and in what types of device it ends up being applied, more seeing that the term “appliance” covers so much that it can even sound ambiguous.
